Journal of Soviet Ambassador to the DPRK A.M. Puzanov for 21 August 1957

SOVIET EMBASSY IN THE DPRK TOP SECRET

Nº 196 Copy Nº 1

31 August 1957

[handwritten: 010343-gs

[[11]] September [[5]]7]

[stamp:

Incoming 02416-s;

11/12 September 1957]

The Journal of Soviet Ambassador to the DPRK A. M. PUZANOV

for the period 16 through 30 August 1957

Pyongyang

SECRET

[…]

21 August 1957

I visited Kim Il Sung and passed him a written invitation from the CPSU CC and USSR Council of Ministers to send a DPRK Party-government delegation to Moscow to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Great October [Socialist Revolution].

Kim Il Sung cordially thanked the CPSU CC and USSR Council of Ministers for the invitation and said that our delegation will go to Moscow with a great desire take part in the celebration of this notable date for all of us. The composition of the delegation will be considered and approved in the KWP CC Presidium.

In the course of the conversation I told Kim Il Sung that in Moscow they are expecting the arrival of a four- or five-person DPRK Party-government delegation. In the conversation, although the issue of the individuals in the delegation were not touched upon, it was evident from some comments that Kim Il Sung himself will personally head the DPRK Party-government delegation. A desire was stated in the process for the delegation to be brought to Moscow on a Tu-104 aircraft, if possible.

Kim Il Sung then informed me about the following issues:

Concerning the harvesting of timber in the USSR. We examined the suggestion of Pak Ui-won and held provincial committees responsible for identifying a number of young workers from whom we will organize paramilitary brigades and send them to the USSR in an organized fashion for timber harvesting in accordance with the agreement that was concluded. With respect to supporting the families left behind a group of comrades has been charged with thinking over these issues and submitting proposals to the Cabinet of Ministers.

Concerning the letter of [SIC] the CPSU Central Committee. Kim Il Sung reported that he had signed a letter to the CPSU Central Committee that the KWP CC had discussed the proposal of the CC of the Socialist Worker's Party of Hungary to send representatives of the army and workers of the socialist countries to the military parade and demonstration of workers which will be held in Moscow on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution and completely supports this proposal. This letter will be presented to us by the MFA for transmittal to the CPSU CC.

Concerning aid to a Korean-language newspaper published in the Kazakh SSR. In connection with the fact that among the delegation of Soviet journalists there was an editor of a Korean-language newspaper published in the Kazakh SSR, Kim Il Sung said, I have given instructions to Kim Chang-man and the agitprop department to give the editor of the newspaper all possible aid (a selection of textbooks in the new orthography, Korean reference works, and other necessary literature).

I thanked Kim Il Sung and said that I passed on his comments with respect to the Korean newspaper published in the Kazakh SSR which he stated during a visit to the Cheongjin provincial Party committee. The editor also knows of these comments and he will be happy to make use of your assistance.

Kim Il Sung then said that this newspaper is read by a considerable number of Koreans and we are very interested that it share more of the experience of Soviet collective farmers and workers. This is very important for us.

I said for my part that the visit to the DPRK by the editor of the newspaper will provide an opportunity to forge personal ties so they can subsequently send materials, and this will be very important for familiarizing Koreans living in the Kazakh SSR with the lives and work of workers of the DPRK.

At the end of the conversation Kim Il Sung said that the commanding general of the 1^st Army was seen with [former Soviet Ambassador to the DPRK] Shtykov during staff maneuvers, who allegedly expressed a desire to unofficially visit the DPRK. Kim Il Sung asked whether I knew anything about this issue. [Translator's note: the reference is presumably to the Soviet 1^st Army located in the Primorsky Kray of the Far East; Shtykov was First Secretary of the Kray CPSU Committee at this time].

I replied that I knew nothing about this issue.

Kim Il Sung then added that if Shtykov actually has such a desire then we will be very happy for his arrival in the DPRK at any time in any way.

I replied that I will try to send this to Shtykov at the first opportunity. However, I added that as usual evidently our practice is that a secretary of an oblast' committee or a chairman of an oblast' executive committee needs permission from the corresponding bodies to leave the oblast'.

In this connection I raised the issue about the advisability and need to exchange friendly delegations for the mutual study of the experience of the economic development of neighboring oblasts and krays of the USSR and DPRK provinces. Then I told about an experience of which I knew of an exchange of experience by delegations between the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krays and Sakhalin Oblast' with the neighboring PRC provinces. It seems to me that it would be useful to conduct such an exchange of delegations, for example between the province of North Hamgyeong and the Primorsky Kray.

Kim Il Sung agreed completely and called such an exchange useful.

Pak Jeong-ae [Pak Jong Ae] was present at the conversation, which lasted 30 minutes…

[…]

SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN THE DPRK

[signature] (A. PUZANOV)

Five copies printed:

1 - Cde. Gromyko

2 - Cde. Fedorenko

3 - Cde. Kurdyukov

4 - Cde. Solodovnikov

5 - to file

Nº 527

31 August 1957